Trail Bloggers - Page 2

Reading blogs can inspire and inform your own training, but fruitlessly searching for worthwhile ones can drain time better spent outdoors. What follows is a guide to 25 hot blogspots. Think of them as virtual trailheads— good starting points to visit frequently—that link to other paths to explore.

News and Reviews

Two runners-who-blog have earned reputations as the go-to guys for reliable and timely trail-running news and commentary: Scott Dunlap and Bryon Powell. Since 2004—a year that could be considered the Renaissance in the medium's relatively short history—Dunlap's Trail Runner's Blog (runtrails.blogspot.com) has maintained a smart balance between journalistic reporting and personal reflections. Powell's IRunFar (blog.irunfar.com), which took root as a personal blog, has blossomed as a news hub powered by a team that cranks out thoroughly trail-tested gear reviews and race recaps along with lively features.

A couple of full-scale websites (which aren't really blogs per se) deserve mention because they rely heavily on blogs to create a clearinghouse of trail-running info. While this kitchen-sink approach leads to uneven quality and multiple personalities, the grab bag of content is rarely dull. Trail Running Soul (trailrunningSoul.com) draws on multiple sources for a content package not unlike trail mix—varied ingredients, very filling and easy to digest for running—while Muddy Socks (muddysocks.com), a social networking site, allows its users (including you, if you're so inclined) to sign in and blog away.

Blogs by Top Dogs

Some of the best trail runners make the best bloggers. Here's where the hardcore reveal their secrets, offer an insider's perspective and share their pain as they reflect on their "blistering" times.

Case in point: ski-bum-turned-ultra-phenom Karl Meltzer (karlmeltzer.com). With a style like a sportscaster, he handicaps the who's-who of the trail ultrarunning race circuit and takes readers on his odysseys along the Appalachian Trail or through the Wasatch Mountains. In a similar but more contemplative vein is Anton Krupicka, who could have a second career as a travel writer. His blog, Riding the Wind (antonkrupicka.blogspot.com), transports readers to singletracks near his home base of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and beyond.

For a while, it seemed as though Scott Jurek had abandoned his blog (scottjurek.com/blog), but he was just taking a well-deserved break. His post on the benefits of off-season "hibernating" typifies his best writing: personal yet practical, informal yet informative. The same might be said of posts by Andy Jones-Wilkins (ajwsblog.blogspot.com), plus Andy adds an extra shot of humor to his mix of commentary and race reports (for example, search his archives for his satirical open letter to the Western States Board of Trustees).